Be A Force Of Nature

Know Your Risk. Take Action. Be an Example in Your Community.

As a Weather-Ready Nation Ambassador, Otter Tail County is working with the National Weather Service to build individual and community resilience to extreme weather and water events. We are working to move individuals and communities to take actions that will eliminate or reduce weather impacts and prepare them in the event of a weather disaster. These actions can save lives and property anywhere – at home, in schools, and in the workplace before emergencies/disaster strike.

However, we cannot do it alone! You are a key member of the team. Join us – “Be A Force of Nature.”

Know Your Risk & Take Action

Droughts, tornadoes, snowstorms, flooding – severe weather impacts every part of the country. The first step to becoming weather-ready is to understand the type of hazardous weather that can affect where you live and work, and how the weather could impact you and your family.

Get Involved

Become a NWS Cooperative Observer The NWS Cooperative Observer Program is truly the national weather observing network of, by, and for the people. More than 8,700 volunteers take observations where they live, work, and play. The NWS depends on these volunteer observers, committed to taking observations at the same location for 10 or more years, to report daily weather and climate information using the phone or internet. NWS provides the training, equipment, and maintenance — you provide daily data! Your observations support warnings, forecasts, and help build a long-term weather history for an area. This program has existed since 1890 and is one of the few programs that measures snowfall and its water equivalent.

Join the CoCoRaHS Community The Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow Network (CoCoRaHS) is a network of volunteer observers who measure precipitation from their backyard. Any age can volunteer. CoCoRaHS sells low cost equipment to help volunteers get started. Observers enter their observations online. This data is used by a wide variety of users, ranging from meteorologists and hydrologists to insurance adjusters and engineers.

Become a Storm Spotter under the NWS SKYWARN Program Help keep your community safe by volunteering to become a trained severe storm spotter for the NWS. Storm spotters report hazardous weather to the NWS, which aids the warning process. Volunteers are trained by NWS meteorologists to identify and describe severe local storms, including severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, and floods. Interested? Visit the NWS SKYWARN website, then contact your local NWS office to find out about free local and online training. Many offices require a 2-hour training.